When I think of the word glamorous I think of Christian Dior, one of my all time favourite designers. What makes the Dior name even more special to me is I actually once had a genuinely magical moment when I 'accidentally' tried on a Dior dress. (see upcoming article...My encounter with Dior) Dior's history goes way back when he initially became famous after world war two when he introduced the concept of the hour glass silhouette. Then Dior's first haute couture show in 1947, solidified his standing in the fashion industry and selling his designs to famous American actresses followed.
Dior's collections include everything from his fashions of course, to his line of cosmetics and accessories. I love this quote that was published ten days after the untimely death of Christian Dior "The French newspaper Le Monde hailed him as a man who was “identified with good taste, the art of living and refined culture that epitomises Paris to the outside world”. That quote pretty much sums up in one sentence, the essence of who Dior really was. Using his exquisite designs, Dior shared everything he surrounded himself with in Paris to women who wanted to experience a little glimpse of that life themselves. His powerful presence was evident then, and still today several decades following his death it is still evident. High end department stores and cosmetic boutiques all over the world, daily welcome clients who stop in to purchase Dior items.
I think it would be so interesting to use white and grey, Christian Dior's favourite colours as a design concept for a wedding. It would require just the right elements and if done in true Dior style the outcome would be ultra chic.
If you want to read further on the life of this extremely talented and fascinating designer please follow this link.
http://www.dior.com/prehomeFlash.htm
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2. Yves Saint Laurent. Above sketch by Yves Saint Laurent. See bottom of page for copyright information.
Another of my favourite fashion designers Yves Saint Laurent became the head designer at Christian Dior, following Dior's death in 1957. Mr. Saint Laurent was only twenty one years old at the time. His amazing career spanned several decades and included his inventing pant suits, bolero jackets and the women's tuxedo jacket just to name a few of his designs. One of his biggest accomplishments was making ready to wear fashions acceptable. The great thing about his designs is they always reflected the changing times. And during the latter part of his career he became the first haute couture designer to broadcast a live fashion show on the internet. The way he incorporated art in his designs and the huge amount of respect he had for women were just two reason why he gained fans in so many walks of life. "Saint Laurent also played a huge role in changing how women dressed. He created the first tuxedo for women. Giving women a look that was traditionally associated with men was a statement for Saint Laurent in showing a power shift in gender. But being a "powerful" woman meant more to Saint Laurent than putting a woman into a man's suit. His sleek evening gowns emphasize the beauty of the female form."
Reading up on the life and exceptional career of Yves Saint Laurent made for some very interesting discoveries. One of the most impressive things I learned was he had the rare ability to know what women wanted, before they even knew it themselves. That alone is an exceptional talent and one of the many reasons that I believe empowered him to stay around for as long as he did.
For more information on Yves Saint Laurent visit the website below.
http://ysl.com/us/en/index.aspx
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3. Chanel - sketch by Karl Lagerfel for Chanel
As far back as I can remember the name Chanel has always been of great interest to me. It all started when I was 14 years old and our local pharmacy gave out the tiniest little bottle of Chanel No. 5 perfume with any purchase. It was the first real perfume I ever owned and that little bottle lasted me all through my high school years. Still in my early teens I would buy an issue of Vogue, and any ad or mention of the name Chanel would make my purchase all the more worth while.
The life of Coco Chanel is a fascinating and intriguing story. It is truly a remarkable story that Chanel went from spending her childhood years as an orphan, to becoming one of the most famous designers and business women of all time. Not only was Coco Chanel known for her incredible designs, it went much deeper than that. She actually had a profound impact on changing the way women dressed. Chanel was a leader in the movement of change and made it acceptable for women to leave behind the confining designs of the Edwardian period. From her classic custom suits to her little black dress design everything with the Chanel label was highly valued in her time, and still is to this day. I don't think there is a person alive, regardless of their interest in fashion or not, that doesn't recognize the name Chanel.
If I could only own one piece of designer clothing it would be a Chanel suit. For now I do consider it a privilege to own a pair of Chanel sunglasses, my first ever real designer purchase. I am currently searching for a Chanel bag and look forward to finding just the right one.
For information on Chanel, see the following website.
http://www.chanel.com/
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4. Oscar de la Renta: Above sketch by Oscar de la Renta
I love the above sketch of a wedding dress from Oscar de la Renta's new bridal capsule collection. The design is a perfect representation of Mr. de la Renta's concept of brides which he describes in the following quote. "The bride has a common dream - she wants to look her very best, the most feminine, the most romantic and the most memorable." Who wouldn't want a wedding dress designed by Oscar de la Renta. His fashion shows are for obvious reasons hugely successful, but it's his wedding dresses that usually steal the show.
What I find so interesting about Oscar de la Renta is the rich and varied history behind this man. Born in the Dominican Republic to a woman who was from there and to a father who was Puerto Rican. At eighteen years of age he moved to Spain where he studied art. He soon realized his passion was actually in fashion and not long after he started sketching for fashion houses in Spain. Not surprisingly he moved to Paris as a couture assistant.
In 1963 Oscar de la Renta moved to New York City, already very famous by this time. He continued working his way up to the top of the fashion industry and having his own label. He is most famous for his ready to wear line. "Launching his own line in 1965, he was the first designer to give American women couture quality off the rack. He's said he designs clothes for wearing, not for museums." Oscar de la Renta designs everything from clothes, accessories for both women and men, perfume and also has a line of furniture inspired from his homes in the Dominican Republic and America.
One of the many things I like about Oscar de la Renta is regardless of what style of clothes he designs he puts just as much passion into it. For example his casual clothes are just that ..items such as denim pants and tank tops and then his next design can be his exquisite line of evening clothes that are very detailed and elaborately designed. I admire that Mr. de la Renta wants every piece he designs to be as important as the next. For more information on Oscar de la Renta and his line of fashions see the following website.
http://www.oscardelarenta.com/
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Bridal inspirations with fashions from the above designers.
*Dior
*Yves Saint Laurent
The above dresses from Yves Saint Laurent's 2002 Couture runway would be
stunning for a formal wedding. The elegant violet and plum gowns are great
inspirations for bridesmaid's dresses.
The pink gown I can visualize for the mother of the bride (with a little tailoring
so the cut is not quite as low).
I am still searching for just the right bride's dress to go with this combination.
*Chanel
I love this white ruffled dress design by Chanel, (dress in photo above silver dress) and think it would make a cute wedding dress for the right bride and the right wedding. (minus the big hair bow). And the above dress (again minus the hair bow) would be perfect for the mother of the bride, for the same wedding.
*Oscar de la Renta
Although the three gowns above all by Oscar de la Renta, are not part of his bridal collection I think they would make fabulous wedding dresses. I wonder if there will come a day where wearing wedding dresses in colours other than white will be popular? Although there is nothing wrong with wearing white if that is what you want, there is also nothing wrong with wearing a wedding dress that isn't white. My daughter choose a pink dress for her wedding dress and I give her so much credit for stepping outside of the box and wearing something that she felt suited her. And after seeing the way
my daughter looked in the gorgeous pink dress she choose for her wedding, I can't imagine her in
anything else.
Footnotes to above images and quotes.
Image 1 and Quote: http://designmuseum.org/design/christian-dior
Image 2: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7430568.stm
Quote re: Yves Saint Laurent
http://specialartgalleryexhibits.suite101.com/article.cfm/yves_saint_laurent_retrospective_at_de_young
Image 4 and Quote: http://www.stylelist.com/2010/01/17/oscar-de-la-renta-tells-stylelist-about-his-exclusive-new-weddin/
Quote 2 Oscar de la Renta: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/style/gloss/6936637.html
Photo credits:
*All bridal inspirations photographs from style.com
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